Sabotaged brakes didn’t kill Rueben Sanchez, but waiting for his assailants’ trial to start just might. A potential witness for the prosecution can’t explore his lusty feelings for the hunky sheriff who saved him, but that doesn’t stop his imagination from running wild. Rueben has already shaped his traumatic mountainside meet cute with Seth Burke into a happily ever after to tell their future grandkids. When the delay threatens to stretch on for years, Rueben feels his dreams slipping out of reach. Should he surrender gracefully or fight for his man?
Pressure and scrutiny are nothing new to Seth, but shouldering his duties has never felt like a burden until they keep him from the man he wants most. Cracking an unsolved murder, safeguarding a high-profile trial, and winning re-election should be enough to keep him busy. But he can’t stop thinking about the perfect weekend he shared with Rueben before everything careened off course. Are they as good together as Seth remembers, or is his memory swayed by the allure of the forbidden? And does he dare to find out?
Late-night phone calls and shared secrets lead to stolen kisses and a lakeside cabin rendezvous. But one encounter isn’t enough, and the two men will risk everything to explore their deepening bond. When a series of chilling events rock the county, Rueben and Seth must put more than their hearts on the line because one misstep could prove fatal.
The Keeper is book five in the Redemption Ridge series. Though each story features a different couple, reading the series in order is essential. The Keeper contains mature themes and is intended for adults.
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Pleasure still curled his toes, and he was already jonesing for more. “Christ, Rue. I can’t get enough of you.”
“I know.” A hint of melancholy tinged his voice. “But I’d rather have this than nothing at all.”
But how long would Rueben be willing to settle for phone sex? If Seth were a better man, he’d encourage Rueben to find someone better suited for him. He was selfish, so instead of saying something to push Rue away, Seth uttered a truth guaranteed to pull him closer. “I’d rather have these stolen hours with you than unlimited time with anyone else.”
“You fucking charmer.” The grin in Rueben’s voice made the risk all worth it.
Seth leaned over and grabbed his discarded T-shirt from the night before and cleaned off his chest and stomach. He heard a s
imilar rustling from Ruben’s end and knew he was tidying up too. A glance at the clock revealed he didn’t need to hit the shower for another hour, which made him glad they’d been too horny to sleep. Seth tucked his free arm under his head and stared at the thin rectangles of pale blue light on his ceiling that hinted at encroaching daybreak on the other side of the curtains. “Scooby Doo or Inspector Gadget?”
Rueben sucked in a sharp breath. “Dude, that’s too tough to answer.”
“Hey, you made me choose between Justified and Animal Kingdom.”
Rueben huffed again. “Scooby, but only by a hair.”
“Cartoon or live-action film?” Seth asked.
“Definitely the cartoon, but I love Matthew Lillard as Shaggy Rogers.”
They continued talking about any random thing they could think of, laughing and needling one another as time stretched on. Seth watched the thin blue rectangles on the ceiling spread to meet in the middle and turn soft pink with dawn. “I need to hit the shower and head to the station.”
“I need to clean up and go to breakfast with the crew.”
That prompted another playful debate about the proper way to cook bacon. When they moved on to discussing waffles versus pancakes, Seth knew he was screwed in more ways than one. He was hungry, running late, and teetering precariously on the edge of love with Rueben.
Alone, Seth and Reuben were always interesting characters. I especially loved that Reuben took Keegan under his wing and the two quickly became inseparable bffs. Seth always came off as serious but also down to earth. He didn’t play games and this book shows us that well.
We all know by now that both “get it out of our systems” and “it’ll be a secret” never work out. The “get it out of our systems” is a hold over from a previous book, which leads to “it’ll be a secret”. They had good reason to keep their relationship a secret, not your normal someone is in the closet thing.
It is pretty funny with Rueben trying to keep it on the down low. Not just that he was messing with Seth, but that he was with anyone at all. All of the guys, and Harry, at the ranch are way too gossipy to not try to get more info out of him.
Seth is up for re-election as sheriff, the crazy cult is still on the fringes awaiting trial. There’s a juicy story there that I won’t divulge but it kept me turning the pages.
I really liked these guys together and I liked that we were taken off of the ranch for different interactions and scenes. They had a maturity about them that just really solidified the relationship for me.
4 pieces of eye candy
Ever since she was a little girl, Aimee Nicole Walker entertained herself with stories that popped into her head. Now she gets paid to tell those stories to other people. She wears many titles—wife, mom, and animal lover are just a few of them. Her absolute favorite title is champion of the happily ever after. Love inspires everything she does, music keeps her sane, and coffee is the magic elixir that fuels her day.
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